Finding Yourself
by AnyfriendofMike's
Summary: Tough guy meets uptight girl. Nope, not Duncan and Courtney; Scott and Dawn! How long will it take for this to blow up in their faces?
1. Chapter 1

**Narrator: Annoyed with her current story Nothing Else Really Matters Anymore, young AnyfriendofMike's decided to create a story called Finding Yourself. It's about Dawn and Scott (Ugh, not another one!) meeting for the first time at Motto Yume Academy... Against his usual feelings, Scott falls for the girl. The problem is, Dawn as isn't fond of Scott as he is of her! How is he going to prevent her from breaking his heart?**

**AnyfriendofMike's: Hey! I told you to tell them about it, not summarize it! **

**Narrator: oh….**

**AnyfriendofMike's: Get out of here….**

**Narrator: …If I pay you, will you go out with me?**

**AnyfriendofMike's: GET OUT!**

Scott's POV

There was once a time in my life when I wished my parents would drop dead. Lovely isn't it? My biggest wish was for the people who brought me into this world to die a horrible death. But how would you feel if your parents shipped you off to prep school because apparently you're "too much trouble to handle"?

Gangs, drugs, alcohol; I was involved in these things right under my parents' ignorant noses! My mistake was getting my name out there a little too much. A little slip about me being involved in a break in down the street from a neighbor led my parents to enroll me in Motto Yume Academy.

My gang members, Heather, Alejandro, and DJ weren't happy about this. Upon hearing the news, Alejandro and Heather shook their heads, while DJ burst into furious tears. I'm not one for sappy goodbyes and shit, so that was the last time I saw them before leaving for the train to the academy.

After ignoring the space between platforms nine and ten, I treated my parents to the silent treatment all the while I was loading my things onto the train. I was so furious at them! What gave them the right to send away their only son? Sure I had this coming to me, but it felt so unfair! My Pappy was absolutely livid about their decision, and we decided that it would be best for Pappy to stay home when I boarded the train.

My mother pulled me into a tight hug, sobbing. "Please write to us Scotty!" she wailed. I disgustedly wrenched myself away from her. A few people noticed her uncontrollable crying, so I quickly pretended that I wasn't related to or knew this woman in any way. My father said nothing, still firm on his decision to send me to the nerdy school. I gave a sarcastic little wave as the train picked up speed.

I sighed when I could no longer see the station. So it was final. I had hoped that in some way some sort of shenanigan would keep me from leaving, but it really looked like my 11th year of school would be spent at Motto Yuma Academy.

I had taken the tour a few weeks before, and it was plain awful! There were posters on the wall encouraging learning, signs telling you to stay away from drugs, strict looking teachers, and worst of all….uniforms. Good god, we had to wear sweater vests, ties, and _slacks_. I've never heard that word on the farm, so I wasn't looking forward to wearing them.

But the contrast of Motto Yuma Academy to my old school, Old Mill High School, was just scary! While Motto Yuma had dorms and polished halls and classrooms, Old Mill had broken benches, rotted desks, rusted swings, lazy teachers, and a bad roach infestation. In other words, Old Mill High School was the perfect school for me. Pappy had taught me so many ways to make people mad and have a lot of fun, so I really didn't mind going to school as much as I should have. Fact-wise, I spent more time in detention than in class, actually learning things. I mean, what's the point if all you're going to do when you grow up is care for the family farm?!

Admitting defeat, I settled down into one of the train's recliners and took out the block of wood I was shaping. I was trying to make it look like one of the tractors we use back at the farm. Unfortunately, this took a lot of concentration, not letting me pay attention to the footsteps that ended right next to me.

"Those wood chips are getting all over the floor!" exclaimed a squeaky voice. I looked up to find a girl with blonde hair and pale skin. Petite. Already in her uniform. Probably an overachiever or suck up.

"So?" I asked. Thanks to her, I had been pulled out of the zone. Why should I care about what she had to say? Why should I care about what anyone had to say?

"So? So? SO?!" she shrieked, stomping her foot with each syllable. "You ARE going to clean them up, right?"

I just grunted as a reply. Let her guess the answer. It looked like messing with her would guarantee some fun…

"Well who else is going to clean it up?" she asked, sounding stressed. I grunted again, smirking a little. She took me by surprise by seizing my pocketknife.

"Hey, that's mine!" I exclaimed, standing up. I made a grab for her wrist, but she jerked herself away from me.

"Knives are not permitted in the academy," she informed me in a bossy tone. I flashed her one of my most arrogant smiles.

"Neither are bitches, now hand it over," I demanded, thrusting my hand out.

"No."

I pretended to sigh. "Okay, you leave me no choice," I said in a fake tone of disappointment. I grabbed her tiny waist and slung her over my shoulder, receiving screams and kicks. A few of the preps glared at us, but I was used to nasty looks at home.

"Unhand me!" the girl yelled. That's right; I didn't even know her name.

"I'll put you down if you tell me your name," I said stubbornly.

"My name? My name is of no importance, now put me down!"

"I'm Scott, now what is your name?" I said in my most polite voice. I could hear her sighing in frustration.

"I'm Dawn."

I quickly dropped her, pocketing my knife in the process.

"Now was that so sad?" I teased her.

"Yes," she spat, sweeping some hair out her face. "And I'll have you know that I'm reporting you too my father, the principle of Motto Yuma Academy!"

I smirked at her and settled back into my recliner for some sleep. I heard some laughter in the seat next to me and reluctantly opened my eyes.

"What was that all about dude?" asked some douche in a cowboy hat.

"I like making trouble," I said simply, wishing he would stop talking to me. Instead, he stuck his hand out for a shake.

"I'm Geoff, man."

"Cool," I said, ignoring his hand. I heard him chuckle through my closed eyes. Suddenly, I found his chuckle unnerving.

"What's so funny bro?" I snapped.

"You don't really find hardcore people around here. Just uptight preps and nerds," he answered.

It was so much like my view on this place that I couldn't help but start to like this guy. Next thing I know, he's pulling out some weed!

"Dude, you smoke?" I asked incredulously.

"Oh, yeah, I do…" he said sheepishly. I noticed that he was awkwardly trying to cover the bag.

"Me too…" I said, pulling out my own bag of weed. His jaw dropped at the size of the bag.

An hour later, we erupted from the train bathrooms with a furious high.

"So…uh…what's with that Dawn chick?" I asked Geoff, sitting back down. I noticed that his eyes were really red and hoped that mine weren't the same.

"She's really bossy. Her dad owns the academy, so she's sort of uptight," Geoff told me.

"She's sounds like a total kill joy," I commented, stuffing my weed back into my suitcase.

"Yeah, but there's another girl, Courtney, oh man, she'll get to you! My friend Duncan, we used to pull pranks on her all the time! I think he's in another compartment. I have got to introduce you guys!"

"Sounds cool man" I said, relaxing. I felt the train going slower and predicted that we were stopping soon. Sure enough, the school came into view minutes later. Soon there was a frenzy of students scrambling for their books and pencils and bags.

We made our way into the school as the sky was starting to darken. My stomach growled several times on the trip. Man, I was starving.

"When do we eat?" I whispered to Geoff.

"After we settle into our dorms. We go to the cafeteria to eat. Hey, what dorm do you have?" Geoff asked.

"112," I answered.

"Same!" he said excitedly. I smiled. Maybe this year wouldn't be as terrible as I thought.

0000Finding Yourself000

I grabbed a tray from the stack on one of the cafeteria tables. I was surprised to see that the food here didn't look disgusting. At my old school, they served rubbery macaroni, chunky milk, month old stew, and browning fruit. Here, everything was fresh and actually fit for human consumption.

I smirked when I got an eyeful of that Dawn clutching her tray.

"So where should we sit?" Geoff asked behind me.

"Follow me," I smiled, following Dawn and plopping down next to her. Geoff followed suite and sat next to Dawn's blonde friend.

"Oh no…" Dawn groaned. "Bridgette, can we sit somewhere else?"

Bridgette batted her eyes at Geoff. "I can't find anything wrong here…"

I gave Geoff a thumbs up and scooted closer to Dawn.

"So how's it going tight ass?"

"Get away from me you vulgar pig!" Dawn snapped. I fake gasped.

"How rude of you! Why, that just breaks my heart!" I said dramatically. To my amusement, Dawn looked like she wanted to stuff her tray down my throat.

The rest of the meal consisted of me annoying Dawn and Geoff flirting with Bridgette. I was surprised at how fast that guy moved; he had already gotten her number. By 10:00, I was ready for bed. I set my alarm for 8:00, remembering with a pang of loss that the summer was officially over.

"G'night Geoff," I said before falling asleep.

"Night' man," he replied, climbing into bed and shutting off the light.

0000Finding Yourself0000

_Beep Beep Beep._ I slammed the snooze bar on the clock, wishing nothing more for it to shut up. Minutes later, it triggered again, forcing me to get up.

"Wake up you bum!" I called to Geoff, throwing one of my pillows at his still sleeping body. Ignoring his protests, I zombie over to the dorm's kitchen area, pouring myself a bowl of cereal. Geoff joined me minutes later, his hair sticking up. Then I pulled my uniform on and grabbed my books and schedule.

"You wanna smoke after class?" I asked Geoff as we walked down the hall. He nodded, still in a sleepy trance. I guess he wasn't a morning person. I smiled inside when I saw Dawn walking into Science, my first class also.

"This is gonna be fun…" I said to myself. Geoff waved as he shuffled into the history classroom. I immediately took a seat next to Dawn before anyone else could.

"Not you again!" she groaned, picking up her stuff to leave. Unfortunately for her, all of the other seats were taken.

"Please, let me switch seats with you!" she pleaded to a large girl with a bow in her hair.

"Ya! Seats were invented by my great great great great great great great grandmother! Before her, tables were pretty much useless!" the girl babbled. I howled with laughter as Dawn slid back into the seat next to me.

Then, the teacher walked into the room. "I hope you like where you're sitting right now, because these will be your seats for the whole year!" she said. Dawn slammed her head on the table. Repeatedly.

"Don't talk to me for the rest of the day," Dawn warned me.

"How else will I ask you on a date?" I asked in mock shock.

"Let me get this clear, I do NOT like you. So stop looking at me, stop talking to me, and stop sitting next to me!"

"When you two are finished with your conversation, I'll be glad to start class," the teacher said sternly, looking right at us. Dawn glared at me before turning to face the teacher.

"Don't count on it," I whispered.

The rest of the day was filled with typical first day stuff. To my delight, Dawn was in all of my classes, even my electives. I could tell that it would be a fun year for me. But I really enjoyed her company. Making fun of her was hilarious, but what I really craved was for her to actually like me. I didn't want to be that one guy she ran from in the halls, so I decided to take it up a notch.

After dinner, I arrived outside her dorm. She came to the door at my knock, wearing only a tank top and shorts.

"Heyyyy," I greeted her.

"WHAT do YOU want?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Let's take a walk."

"No."

What, she just flatly refuses me? Looks like I need to turn on the charm…

"Please…? Just this once! Geoff is hanging out with Bridgette, and I have no one to hang out with!" I pleaded her.

"You are the most vulgar person I have ever met and you smell like smoke," she said flatly.

"PPPPPPLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEAAAAAAASSSSSSEEEEEE?" I whined. She screwed her eyes shut and clapped her hands to her ears.

"I will if you just pipe down!" she exclaimed, slipping on her shoes. Behind her back, I pumped my fist into the air. As we made our way outside, I playfully threw my arm around her shoulder, but she slapped me away.

"So what do you want from me?" she asked harshly when I flopped down in the grass.

"Just wanna talk," I said lazily, plucking a blade of grass from the ground.

"Whatever…" she said, sitting down Indian- style next to me.

"So how long have you gone to this school?" I asked her.

"What?"

"How long have you gone here?" I repeated.

"Since 9th grade…" she answered slowly, probably trying to see if I was messing with her.

"Well…do you…like it here?"

"I…I'm not sure anymore…" she answered, sounding honest. I stared at her.

"Wha…?"

"It's just…everyone here is boring! There, I said it, everyone here is boring! All they care about is grades and books! I've always wondered what a public school is like…" she admitted.

"Public school is beast!" I say, staring up at the sky.

"What's it like?"

"Where I come from, it's pretty dirty, but it's really fun. The teachers don't care if you learn anything at all, so you can do anything you want!"

"That doesn't sound very educational…" Dawn said uncertainly.

"So? All of us are going to work on the farm anyways!"

"Sounds interesting…" Dawn said, laying back.

"Getting comfortable, are we?" I grinned. She rolled her eyes, but I knew she wanted to laugh. "Oh…Oh….I see that smile! I see that smile!

That was it for her. She started laughing really hard after that. It was a trick my mom used to do on me. Whenever I was pouty, she would try to make me laugh. This was before all of the dark stuff I got into.

"It's getting late," she suddenly said, checking her watch.

"No! I want to keep talking to you!" I whined.

"We have school tomorrow!" she argued. I pinned her to the ground.

"C'mon! Why don't you stay here and talk to me all night?" I suggested. She wanted to smile back, I could tell, but I guess her need for school was stronger.

"Scott! We can talk tomorrow!"

"No! I don't want to wait that long!" I teased her. "You're too beautiful for me to wait!"

I could see her blush even in the low light.

"Scott, c'mon!" she giggled.

"Oh fine!" I sighed, getting off of her.

She stood up and dusted herself off. "Thank you. We can talk tomorrow, okay?"

"Oh…alright…" I said. I was going to crack another joke, but Dawn took me by surprise by pecking me on the cheek.

"That's for calling me beautiful," she called over her shoulder.


	2. Chapter 2: Duncan

Scott's POV

Duncan Posner was exactly like me. We both were trouble makers; both loved loud noises, thought adults were douches, and hated the school. The only difference is; I hated him. Our first meeting was terrible.

Geoff had tracked me down after class, waving his hands at me like a total buffoon.

"Scott! Scott! I found Duncan! Come over here!" Geoff yelled through the noisy hall. I _wanted_ to walk to my next class to get the day over with, but Geoff kept yelling like a _madman_.

So after drifting around the jerks in the hall, I stood in front of this punk with body piercings and a smirk that said, I own this place. I'd never thought much of piercings, and he certainly did _not_ own Motto Yuma Academy. I wasn't too sure if Geoff was right to introduce us.

"Sup' man, I'm Duncan," he said. No offer of a handshake or anything. Okay….

"I'm Scott…." I said. Duncan's smirk grew.

"So you're the new guy on campus? Geoff tells me you smoke some weed, but I'd bet you're an amateur at best…"

"Amateur?!" I exclaimed.

"It means second rate, doofus," Duncan sneered.

"I know," I glared. "I am NOT an amateur at smoking weed."

"Sure you're not…." Then Duncan caught sight of something behind me. When I turned around, my eyes rested on Dawn's clear face, chattering to a teacher. "So…Dawn…I remember her…"

"You know her?" Geoff asked. "I'd never really paid much attention to her. Everyone knows she's a major prep."

"Remember that party you threw a few years back? We got that keg from that bartender?" Duncan hinted.

"Oh yeah! Dude that party was awesome, man!" Geoff laughed.

"Dawn got completely wasted! We hung out all night."

"Dawn got wasted?" I asked. That didn't sound like her.

"Of course, she didn't know what she was drinking," Duncan explained. "She told me everything! I wonder if she remembers that night…."

"What did she tell you?" I asked, nudging him.

Once again, Duncan smirked. "That's for me to know, and you to never find out, twerp." With those words of parting kindness, he swaggered down the hall.

"Duncan is awesome, don't ya think?!" Geoff chuckled.

"Yeah, he's cool…." I said through gritted teeth. What was that guy's deal? Who did he think he was? And was that stuff about Dawn true?

All through class, I refrained from messing with Dawn. Sure, I poked her a bit and stole her pencil, but my mind was somewhere else. I just couldn't see Dawn drunk. I found myself staring at her as the day dragged on.

After dinner, I made my way outside. Every night, Dawn and I would return to that spot from the first day. Nighttime talks had become a routine for us. We would talk about anything and everything here. I wondered if my knowledge of Dawn matched Duncan's.

Dawn had three brothers. One of them, Gabe, was like her best friend when they were kids. The other two, Darius and Nigel, never really connected with her. Then in third grade, her parents split up. The deal was that Dawn's mother got to keep them, but they would go to her dad's school. Things started to work out from there. But when she was 11, things started to fall apart. Her brothers drifted away from her. She felt alone. So to fill the void, she read books. Soon, she was the top of her class. But nothing else was getting better. Gabe started to cut himself, and even got held by the police. Darius ran away from home, and Nigel moved far away from his family. Her mother was trying to keep everyone together, so she never had time for Dawn. Dawn spent her summers locked in her room, sometimes even crying herself to sleep. Finally, when she was 14, things changed. Darius came back and eventually graduated with good marks. Gabe took medication that eased his pain. And Dawn's mother actually spent time with Dawn. Even Nigel allowed them to visit him during the summer. She was able to get over the past and concentrated on school. Prep school changed her attitude, and she spent every second worrying about her grades, never saving time for a social life.

It was fascinating to me. She had so many hardships, but she managed to live around them. You'd never guess that she had spent many nights by herself, wondering where her family went. Why they had left her all alone.

I was eager to hear more about her life that night, even ready to tell her about _myself_. But when I got to our spot,** Duncan** was there.

What. The. Hell. Why was he walking with her? I saw Dawn gabbing to him, smiling and chuckling when he made a joke. When she talked, he often rolled his eyes or flashed phony smiles at her. I don't know how long I stood there and watched them. Occasionally, Dawn looked around, probably looking for me, but I never approached them. Eventually, Duncan gestured that they should go inside, and I followed. The second Dawn was alone, I strode up to her.

"Scott! Where were you! You stood me up, you jerk!" Dawn shrieked upon seeing me.

"I _was _there, and I would've joined you, but you were walking with Duncan!" I said angrily.

"Well yeah. You guys are so much alike! I thought you'd like him."

"Yeah, well, I _don't_. He's too…arrogant. He believes he's the king of this place! And he regards me like he's much better than me!" I snapped.

"Oh come on, Scott. You're probably just upset that he's been here longer," Dawn reasoned.

"That guy is cocky," I muttered. I heard her chuckle next to me.

"Fine. But if you don't show up tomorrow, I'm going to force you to hang out with him."

I smiled. "You missed me, didn't you?"

Dawn just grinned and retired to her dorm. I knew Duncan would never have a bond like I had with Dawn, which made me feel a bit better.


	3. Chapter 3: The risk is greater

**Before you judge me, let me just say that for the record, I'm not proud of how much of a bully Duncan is in** this chapter.

Dawn's POV

I wasn't sure what to think of Scott. He reminded me so much of Duncan, but Scott was… I dunno…. I actually wanted to befriend him! Even when he teased me, my affection for him swelled. It felt…weird… Like, if he flicked my ear or something, I'd only be mad for two seconds. If anyone else did that, I'd hold my grudge for two _minutes_. I even thought he was…cute…

But he was too vulgar for my tastes. He was rude, pushy, ignorant, inappropriate, and a complete waste of my time! Plus, we had nothing in common! He was part of a gang, I was part of a study group! He drank beer, I drank apple juice! He smoked weed for fun, I studied for fun! We were complete opposites! The only time he even acknowledged my presence during the day was to annoy me…

But he was totally different at night. Every night we took a walk outside to that spot we went to on our first day. That was our sanctuary. We could be whoever we wanted to be there. We talked forever about everything. That was the only time I heard him being deep. That was the only time I saw his true self. He was calmer at night. I'm not sure why he calmed down when it was just the two of us, I guess there was no crowd to show off to.

My dad, however, didn't care for Scott whatsoever. On the tenth day, he called me into his office.

"So Dawn, how is term so far?" he asked pleasantly.

"Fine Daddy," I said timidly. I'd never been called to the principal's office, even if he was my dad.

"I see you have a new friend; Scott."

I regarded him with suspicion. "Uh huh…"

"I see you two walking to class together; once he even picked up your books when you spilled them."

"Yeah…"

"But I have to ask you, why are you walking around with him?" my dad asked, tapping his pencil.

"W-What? You're asking me why Scott is my friend?!"

"Yes. You two are nothing alike."

"W-Well…Scott is… he's a nice boy!" I said, feeling a need to defend him.

"He's been called to my office seven times, Dawn! It's the tenth day, might I remind you…" Dad informed me, his voice rising.

Seven times? I was stunned. I had never known anyone to be called to the office at such a rate in such a short amount of time.

"S-So?" I asked, a little unconfident.

"So? SO? I will not have my daughter hanging out with such a hooligan!"

"He's not a hooligan! He's a deep person! Plus…he just was brought up by the wrong crowd as a kid!" I argued.

My father snorted. "He's been brought in here for smoking weed, fighting, skipping class, consuming alcohol, and stealing. Do you think it's okay for him to do that? I'm being very generous here, Dawn!"

"Please, don't expel him! He's probably the best friend I've ever had! He talks to me! He tells me everything! He talks about his family, and how much he's disappointed them! Please, let me fix him! Don't take him away from me! I have the power to change him! I can help him!" I sobbed.

"I'm sorry Dawn. I can't let him disturb the other students," Dad said sternly. He eyed me over his glasses, a certain look in his eye. Maybe pity. I hated that look.

"You're wrong about him. You'll see… I'm going to change him. You're going to regret doubting him," I swore, glaring at him through my tears.

"You are dismissed."

I couldn't believe him! He couldn't just expel Scott! What could I do? Could I really _change_ Scott? No. You can't change anyone completely, especially at the rate I was hoping for. My dad didn't like the fact that I hung out with Scott, so I knew what would have to change… Instead of meeting Scott at our sanctuary, I headed over to my councilor to change all of the classes I had with Scott in them. Maybe if I distanced myself from him, it would be easier to let him go.

Scott's POV

Even though we had made it a routine, Dawn wasn't at our spot on the tenth day. I waited for her, looking up at the sky, but she never came. Okay, maybe she had other plans. Something came up. Family emergency. Anything.

Then when she didn't show up for class, I was certain that she was sick. Okay, I thought, no biggie, she'll be in class tomorrow. By the third week, I was sure that she was dead. Or dying, whatever floats your boat. Where was she? She didn't change classes, did she? Why would she, she seemed pretty content with her schedule.

Her dad seemed extra cheery, waving to students outside his office and handing out candy to the kids who did something nice to others. I hadn't had detention or any trouble during the time Dawn was gone, so maybe he was happy about that…?

I thought of asking someone where she was, but I didn't want them to get any ideas. I was just worried about her, that's all. Months passed, and I was positive that I wouldn't see her anytime soon. But then I did.

She was walking into a different classroom, one she had never gone into before. Or had she? I followed her inside.

"Dawn! Where have you been?!" I exclaimed. She froze.

"Oh…hey Scott…." She said, looking terrified. "I'm…uh…t-taking this class now…."

"What? Why?"

"Uh….I like my new teachers better…."

"Well, why haven't you been meeting me at night?"

"I-I'll tell you later…." She said, turning away from me. I frowned.

"Why haven't you been meeting me, Dawn?"

She dropped her head. "I…I can't be friends with you anymore."

"W-What…?"

"I don't want to see you ever again. Get away from me!" Dawn said fiercely.

"What did _I_ do?"

"We are nothing alike! All you are is filth! I can't believe I wasted my time talking to you! Leave me alone, and stop following me around like a hopeless puppy!" The kids around us were staring. I even saw Duncan, who was sitting at the back of the room, smirk.

"Sha-burn!" someone yelled.

I stepped back. Where was this coming from? I didn't like how she was calling out all of my bad features.

"Dawn…?"

"Go to class, trailer-park-trash!"

I didn't need telling twice. I tore down the hall, making it inside the room right as the bell rang. What was her problem? What happened to her? I was so confused. I went through the day in a daze. At dinner, the drama started.

"Hey trailer-park-trash!" Duncan taunted me from behind. I growled, my hands shaking on my tray.

"I heard Dawn this morning. Hey, she was right. But she forgot to mention what a poser you are…."

"…"

"I mean, if I liked someone, I would've died right there on the spot. She probably realized what a loser you are! Took her long enough, you know what I mean?"

"…"

"What's wrong, can't talk to me? If you can't talk to me, at least face me!"

"…"

Duncan seized my shoulder and spun me around. I glared at his fresh smirk. Why did he have to kick me when I was already on the ground? Pappy always said that you should never overdo bullying. So is this how my victims felt all the time?

"You have no right to be upset that Dawn rejected you, especially since you never had a chance in the first place… I think you never-"

That was it for me. I threw a punch, wanting to wipe that stupid smirk off of his face. I wanted him to feel the pain I felt at the moment. I wanted to make him cry out in pain. I wanted to not only attack, but _kill_. I was sick of everything. I was sick of that school. I hated it there. They had a no fighting rule, so what better way of expulsion?

Duncan moaned beneath me as my fists crashed down on his face. There was blood everywhere, none of it being mine. People around me were crying and screaming, and I wanted everyone to feel the hurt inside of me, especially Dawn. I wanted to make her pay for the nights I spent waiting for her to show.

I climbed off of Duncan, searching for her sorry face. I found it, gaping at my angry face. It was probably straight up contorted into self-rage. A face so unlike myself.

I grasped her shoulders, wanting to hurt her. She flinched, dreading the hit that was to come. But it never did. I stood there for minutes while the whole room held its breath.

"…You…." I growled in a dark, mangled voice. "I w-waited for you…."

"I know…." She whimpered.

"I…I loved you….but now…..I want you to die…."

"Please don't…."

"I was so worried about you…."

"…Please…."

I let go of her shoulders and slumped down on the ground. Whispers flew around the room. I wanted to hurt myself. I needed to feel more pain. I had poured so much out of myself that I was nearly empty of all feeling. I needed to feel pain. I wasn't done. My anger was still throbbing in my temples. I needed pain.

"Scott, get up. Now," commanded a sharp voice. It was Dawn's father. Uh oh.

I stood, not making any eye contact with anyone.

"Sha-bam…."

"Wow, he flipped out…"

"My great great great great grandfather invented punching. Before him, people never had a use for their fists…."

"So is dinner cancelled…?"

"Back in my day, we never had fights, we just swallowed our anger!"

"Shut up Chester."

"Duuuuuuude….."

"He's going to be expelled for sure. This school has gone to the dogs; I'm calling my lawyer…"

These words penetrated me as I trudged after the headmaster. I was in big trouble. I wondered what my parents' reactions would be.

"Sit. Now," he said sternly.

I sat, my heart pounding.

"That was the most despicable performance I have ever seen. Do you know how much you have damaged that other young man? Not only that, but you put my own daughter in danger! I'm sorry Scott, but your case is not looking good…"

"Please sir…I just…I couldn't control my anger…."

"That doesn't make it okay! You may have a temper, but so does everyone else! Control your temper Scott, it's not that hard!"

"He provoked me, sir! He called me trash, and taunted me about not being able to talk out of my anger, so he grabbed my shoulders and spun me around…."

"Wait- he put his hands on you? He physically put his hands on you?" He asked, furrowing his brow.

"I….Yes sir…"

"That counts as starting the fight. Maybe….bullying…? No…so Duncan was the one who started it….so I can't very well expel Scott…." He muttered to himself.

"Sir…?"

"Yes?"

"I….Am I expelled…?" I inquired timidly.

"Hmm….No I suppose not…but you will be serving detention until Christmas break. And your parents will be hearing about this…" he said. "You are dismissed."

I walked out of the office, not being able to believe my luck. I wasn't expelled! Sure, I had detention, but it could've been worse…much worse… Detention until Christmas…that was only a month! Christmas wasn't that far away, was it? I whistled a tune, finding my dorm.

"Hey, are you expelled…?" Geoff asked.

"Nope!" I said happily.

Geoff shook his head. "You are one crazy dude…."


	4. Chapter 4: Courtney and The Break

Scott's POV

People around me flinched when I walked past them. It hurt, but I got used to it. It kind of felt like being at Old Mill High again. But I made sure I didn't cause any trouble from there on. I was determined to blend in with the other kids and make as little noise as possible.

Everyone was excited about the holidays. After all of the studying and classes, it made sense for them to want to relax with their family, exchanging gifts and drinking hot chocolate. Ha, that would never happen to me. Every Christmas, Pappy and I would go around the neighborhood and tear down as many Christmas lights as we could. Then we would return to our shabby home and sing the most grotesque Christmas carols as we could. After that, we would build a snowman, emptying a bottle of ketchup on it, making it look bloody. Ah, good times.

I wasn't sure how my parents would behave to me. I hope they didn't expect me to actually spend time with them. Yeah right. I was going to spend my whole break with my Pappy. Maybe he'd even give me some advice about Dawn. I was glad that I hadn't seen her since the incident in the cafeteria. I heard a rumor that she was going out with Duncan or something. Whatever, I don't need her…

On the train, I sat in the very back, gazing out the window. No sooner did I take a seat then a girl with brown shoulder length hair came in.

"Oh…it's you…." She sneered. "Mr. Fist fight."

"Who are you…?" I asked blankly.

"I am Courtney Anderson! Class President," she said in a dignified voice. I snorted.

"That's nice…Now could you please leave?"

"There are no other seats, so I'm stuck with you," Courtney sniffed.

"Stuck with me…? Sure…"

"So why did you punch Duncan?"

"Sorry, I don't talk to preps," I smirked.

"You talked to Dawn…"

"…"

"Duncan is dating her."

"I heard…."

"Are you sad?" She asked after a few moments.

"No."

She studied me. "I think you are. I think…you really liked her. You're just afraid to admit it."

"Afraid? I'm not afraid of anything," I growled.

Courtney laughed. "Don't you see? Scott, is it?"

I nodded.

"Scott, you're afraid…of yourself…."

"Wha…?"

Afraid of myself? What was she talking about? Okay, maybe I liked Dawn for a moment, but I was _not_ afraid of myself. What's there to fear?

"You're afraid of becoming someone else. You're afraid of yourself," she repeated, smiling a little.

"W….Well….W-What're _you_ afraid of?" I shot at her.

"Green jello….." she murmured.

"…." I tried to hold in my laughter, but I couldn't. Even Courtney cracked a little smile. We talked all the way home. Okay, maybe she wasn't exactly Dawn, but she was fun to talk to. I was sorry when the ride was over.

"I'll see you around campus," Courtney said. I waved and looked for my parents. Ah, there they were; sandwiched between a guy in a blue jumpsuit and a couple with a little brown dog.

"Hey guys," I greeted them, still high off of my talk with Courtney.

"Well, you look happy," my mother said, pulling me into a hug.

"More or less," I shrugged. Then I turned to my dad.

"What's this I hear about you getting into a fight, son?"

"He was asking for it," I scowled. Dad disciplined me all the way to the car.

"…And Tristan never got in fights when he was at school. Why can't you be more like him?!"

Ugh…Tristan. Tristan was my older brother, and Dad's favorite son. Well, he was everybody's favorite. I was always compared to him. People who saw me running with my gang would shake their heads and say, "Where did they go wrong with that boy? Tristan never did anything like that. Why isn't he more like Tristan?"

Even my teachers referred to me as, "the bad egg."

I was tired of it. Tristan was the good son, the wonderful child, the successful one, blah, blah, blah! If Tristan was so great, why didn't he ever visit us? He'd washed his hands with my family, that's for sure. I hadn't seen him in 4 years. Quite frankly, I didn't feel a need to.

Dad wasn't finished with me. "So what do you have to say for yourself?" he demanded.

"…Sorry…."

I could tell my dad was surprised. Usually, I would say something like, "I don't care." Or "Whatever…"

No. Not this time. I was sick and tired of screwing up all the time. Even my parents saw it.

"W-What did you say?"

"I said, sorry…." I repeated in the same tone.

"Well! G-Good!" Dad said, sharing a look of concern with my mom. It was quiet on the ride home. When the car rolled to a stop, I grabbed my bags and heaved them into the house. It was a small, one story house. My room was the smallest of them all. I dumped my stuff on the dirty mattress and left the room in search of my Pappy.

"Hey Pappy," I greeted him. He turned to me, a small smile on his face.

"Great, you're home. Take a seat, Scotty, m'boy," he said, gesturing to the wooden chair that sat next to his rocking chair.

"What's on your mind, boy?" he inquired, scanning me.

"How could you tell?" I wondered.

"I can see it in your eyes," he smiled warmly.

"Well…it's just…Why doesn't anyone like me for me…? Everyone likes Tristan better, but what makes him so great?!" I complained.

"Scotty, why would you, of all people, care what anyone thinks of you?" Pappy asked.

"…I dunno…"

"Well Scott…It doesn't matter what other people think of you. Just be yourself. The point of life is to have as much fun as possible."

"Fun? Pappy…I met someone…d-during school…her name is Dawn…and…well…her dad didn't like me…so…I wasn't allowed to hang out with her….then I met some dude named Duncan…and I got in a big fight with him…and now…Dawn won't look at me anymore…But…I want to hang out with her again….And I don't know what to do! I don't know what I'm doing!" I choked out.

"Scott, just forget about her. She's not worth your time if she's not interested in you. If she doesn't like you now, she won't like you anytime soon!"

"But I want her to like me!" I exclaimed.

"Like I said, if she doesn't like you now, she won't like you in the future. You're wasting your time trying to get her to like you."

"Yes sir…" I muttered.

"And I'll tell you something right now; there's nothing worse than a boy trying to get the attention a girl who just doesn't like him."

Snow fell thick outside. Flakes stuck to the window, then melted. I felt cold inside, because for once, my Pappy was wrong.


	5. Chapter 5: The Dream

**Warning: Slight creepiness may occur *stifles laugh***

_Scott opened his eyes to find himself standing in an abandoned cemetery. A putrid smell of decay and wet earth made him gag. He looked around, trying to figure out where exactly he was._

"_Hello…?" he called, only half expecting an answer. When no response was heard, he took it upon himself to investigate._

'_Where the heck am I?' he thought as he walked the rows of the dead. He suddenly stopped, completely lost. In the distance, Scott saw a large mass and chose to go toward it. As he approached the mysterious mass, he found that it was actually a pile of bodies._

"_What in the- DAWN?! C-Courtney?!" he gasped, recognizing the sleeping faces of the girls. Beneath them were Scott's Pappy, Scott's parents, Geoff, Alejandro, Heather, and DJ. "Jesus Christ, what the hell is going on here?!"_

_Backing up from the pile of bodies, Scott once more thought of his situation. Because of this, he didn't hear footsteps behind him._

"_What the devil? Why, you're supposed to be dead!" Said a voice with a southern accent._

"_Huh? What was that?" Scott asked, turning around to see a short man with a shovel in his hand. Before he knew it, the man had pushed Scott into a large box._

"_Let me out of here!" he demanded, pounding on the lid. All he heard was cackling as the short man buried him under tons of dirt. Suddenly, the bottom of the box disappeared, leaving Scott to fall several feet into darkness.  
_

* * *

_Scott landed in a dark room. Rubbing his arm, he took in his surroundings. In the corner of the room was a little girl, who was rocking back and forth._

"_Who are you?" Scott whimpered._

"_He's behind you…" the girl whispered, her voice hoarse._

"_Who's behind me?"_

_The girl pointed. "Look behind you…"_

_Slowly, he turned around, finding a large man. The man was covered in burns, his skin waxy and lifeless._

"_FUCK!" Scott screamed, bolting for the door. Before he could make it, the man had grabbed his ankle._

"_Join me," came his scratchy voice. "I can make you look like me."_

"_N-No…"  
_

* * *

_The scene changed. Scott was in a field of bones and dead bodies. Dawn, who was wearing her school uniform, walked towards him._

"_Dawn! Thank goodness you're…wait…I-I thought you were…"_

_Dawn said nothing, just grabbed his hands. A blush crept onto Scott's face._

"_I….Dawn?"_

_Her face had become very pale. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head. She sank to her knees._

"_Please! Stop! Please! S-Stop it! Please stop!" she pleaded with him. "Stop! Stop it! Someone help me! Help me! S-Stop! Please! Please help me!"_

"_Dawn, what is wrong with you?!" Scott exclaimed, he bent down and grabbed her arm. At his touch, her cries grew louder._

"_No! Help me! Stop! Stop it! What did I do?! Stop it! Please! I'll do anything, just stop! Stop hurting me!" she yelled, tears streaming down her face. Cautiously, Scott removed his hand from her arm. Immediately, her yells turned into quieter sobs for help._

"_Am I…the one doing this to you…?" he whispered. Dawn only cried more._

"_W-Why? Why are you doing this to me…? Please stop…Stop…Why? Why?!"_

_At further inspection, he saw that Dawn was covered in bruises. Gasping, backed away. Then, he turned his back on her, ignored the shrill screams still coming from her, and ran away. At once, the dead bodies began to come to life and dragged Scott under…_

* * *

_Scott's Mother's face loomed in front of his._

"_How could you do this to me? Your own mother!" she accused, her face bloody. "Why did you do it to me?! Tristan would never do this to me! You…You are not my son anymore!"_

"_I didn't do anything!" Scott protested, staring in horror at the blood._

"_They're coooooooooming…" she replied, dissolving into dust and blowing away. A thundering of feet made Scott whirl around._

_Millions of spiders and cockroaches swarmed in his direction. At the size of monster trucks, the ground shook under their weight. He could only watch in terror as they came closer and closer. _

_But a hand reached out and pulled Scott from being trampled by the insects. The hand, it turned out, belonged to Courtney._

"_You…you saved me…?" he panted, his heart pounding against his ribs. She nodded, signaling for him to follow her. They walked through a ghost town, the crumpled buildings buzzing with hushed voices. Then, with a flash, Courtney was gone._

"_Where did you go?!" Scott exclaimed, looking around him. Confused, he tiptoed into a sturdy looking house. He climbed the stairs, looking for a place where he could think. On the second floor was only one door, so he turned the knob and walked in. In the middle of the room sat Duncan, who was laughing his head off._

"_Duncan…?" Scott asked, holding his breath._

"_Hee…heehee…..hahehhaha….heeheehee…She's….she's dead! You've…you've killed her….eh heh heh hee hee! You've killed her! _You've killed her, Scott!"

"_Who…? I didn't kill anyone!"_

_Duncan laughed more. "On the contrary! You've killed everybody! Everybody, eh hee hee! Hah hah hah! Are…are you going to kill me?! Hah hah hah hah! Are you gonna kill me?!"_

"_No, I'd never kill anybody!" Scott exclaimed._

"_Eh hee hee hee! Hoo hoo! Ha ha ha! Ha ha!" Duncan giggled. Then, the laughter stopped, and Duncan dissolved into sand._

"_Wait!" Scott yelled, holding the sand in his hands. It slipped through the spaces between his fingers._

_The world tilted, making Scott slide into an abyss._

"_AAAAHHHH!" he screamed, his stomach plummeting faster than the rest of him. His pulse raced, his heart now slamming itself against his ribs. The world was shaking…._

"Scott, wake up!" his mother yelled. Scott bolted up in bed, sweat racing down his forehead. He took one look at his parents' concerned faces and realized that it was all a dream.

"Are you alright, son?" his dad asked.

"I'm…I'm fine…just a bad dream…" he managed to gasp. With a nod of understanding, they left the room.

"That's it…" Scott said to himself, shaking. "No more Grape Soda before bed…"


End file.
